Strong songs simply sung key to success - Album a breeze for Jenkins and hubby
Thursday, May 29, 2008
By Tom Harrison, The Province
The origin of Blue Skies, Rebecca Jenkins' first full-length album, is romantic.
The actress and her husband had rented a canal boat in France and as they traversed the water she would sing and husband Joel Bakan would accompany her on guitar.
Between sips of wine, Jenkins might do "Cheek to Cheek," the old Irving Berlin song. Bakan would finish his wine and pick up his guitar to play along. She'd grown up with "Cheek to Cheek." He, by contrast, hadn't played jazz in years.
Back in Vancouver, the two attempted to capture that summer in France on a record that would keep the romance going. The resulting Blue Skies is a model of understatement. As implied by the title, it just breezes along sunnily. The arrangements of Henry Mancini's "Moon River" or Cole Porter's "Night and Day" are short and to the point, played by a small ensemble that eschews bass guitar and sung by a woman who likewise doesn't gild the lily.
"It was actually a very spontaneous approach," claims Jenkins. "They're all great love songs."
"One of the creative choices was that we let the songs speak for themselves," adds Bakan. "Rebecca is just such a great interpreter. The key theme was simplicity."
"Those are really strong songs," Jenkins notes. "They don't need embellishment."
Jenkins is better known as an actress in such independent films as Whole New Thing, Bob Roberts or 1989's Bye Bye Blues, where she was first recognized as a singer, and TV (The Guard, Twilight Zone, Nero Wolfe, The Road to Avonlea). Bakan played guitar in rock and jazz bands before immersing himself in law. He is a professor of law at UBC, but he also wrote a successful book, The Corporation, which became an award-winning documentary film.
"I really didn't get back into jazz until I was sitting on the boat," Bakan recalls. "So, we kind of re-discovered jazz together. We both respond to the same things."
While she was appearing in the movies, Jenkins concurrently was singing and occasionally the two media overlapped. She sang in the film Wilby Wonderful, for example, but also onstage or record with Jane Siberry, Holly Cole and on a Bruce Cockburn tribute album.
"Joni Mitchell gave her a standing ovation when she sang 'Blue,' notes Bakan proudly. This was at Harbourfront in Toronto where Mitchell was nominated for a "Genius" award.
The two evidently have a high regard for one another. They are successful in their own way and so are self-confident. They cheer each other on.
"My philosophy is trying to be true," Jenkins says. "Always try to be present and as natural as possible."
Jenkins is now recording an album of her original tunes augmented by "a few cool covers." Once again, Bakan is there to back her. At the cellar, they'll play songs from Blue Skies and the album in progress with Bruce Meikle and Liam MacDonald.
In concert:
Rebecca Jenkins
Where: The Cellar Jazz Club, 3611 West Broadway
When: Tomorrow and Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15 at the door
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
By Tom Harrison, The Province
The origin of Blue Skies, Rebecca Jenkins' first full-length album, is romantic.
The actress and her husband had rented a canal boat in France and as they traversed the water she would sing and husband Joel Bakan would accompany her on guitar.
Between sips of wine, Jenkins might do "Cheek to Cheek," the old Irving Berlin song. Bakan would finish his wine and pick up his guitar to play along. She'd grown up with "Cheek to Cheek." He, by contrast, hadn't played jazz in years.
Back in Vancouver, the two attempted to capture that summer in France on a record that would keep the romance going. The resulting Blue Skies is a model of understatement. As implied by the title, it just breezes along sunnily. The arrangements of Henry Mancini's "Moon River" or Cole Porter's "Night and Day" are short and to the point, played by a small ensemble that eschews bass guitar and sung by a woman who likewise doesn't gild the lily.
"It was actually a very spontaneous approach," claims Jenkins. "They're all great love songs."
"One of the creative choices was that we let the songs speak for themselves," adds Bakan. "Rebecca is just such a great interpreter. The key theme was simplicity."
"Those are really strong songs," Jenkins notes. "They don't need embellishment."
Jenkins is better known as an actress in such independent films as Whole New Thing, Bob Roberts or 1989's Bye Bye Blues, where she was first recognized as a singer, and TV (The Guard, Twilight Zone, Nero Wolfe, The Road to Avonlea). Bakan played guitar in rock and jazz bands before immersing himself in law. He is a professor of law at UBC, but he also wrote a successful book, The Corporation, which became an award-winning documentary film.
"I really didn't get back into jazz until I was sitting on the boat," Bakan recalls. "So, we kind of re-discovered jazz together. We both respond to the same things."
While she was appearing in the movies, Jenkins concurrently was singing and occasionally the two media overlapped. She sang in the film Wilby Wonderful, for example, but also onstage or record with Jane Siberry, Holly Cole and on a Bruce Cockburn tribute album.
"Joni Mitchell gave her a standing ovation when she sang 'Blue,' notes Bakan proudly. This was at Harbourfront in Toronto where Mitchell was nominated for a "Genius" award.
The two evidently have a high regard for one another. They are successful in their own way and so are self-confident. They cheer each other on.
"My philosophy is trying to be true," Jenkins says. "Always try to be present and as natural as possible."
Jenkins is now recording an album of her original tunes augmented by "a few cool covers." Once again, Bakan is there to back her. At the cellar, they'll play songs from Blue Skies and the album in progress with Bruce Meikle and Liam MacDonald.
In concert:
Rebecca Jenkins
Where: The Cellar Jazz Club, 3611 West Broadway
When: Tomorrow and Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15 at the door
Back to articles